A meeting recap should help people act without replaying the entire conversation. Separate what was decided from what was merely discussed. When the distinction is unclear, readers may treat a suggestion as an instruction or miss a commitment entirely.
Capture decisions before discussion
Start with the meeting's purpose and date. Summarize the decisions in plain language, then list the action items. Each action needs an owner, a concrete deliverable, and a due date or an explicitly unresolved date. “Team to review” is less useful than “Maya to return comments on the agenda by Thursday.” Do not invent agreement to make the recap look complete. If a decision is pending, say what information is needed and who will bring it back. A recap is a shared record, not an opportunity to settle a disagreement after the meeting.
Sample recap
Make action items easy to scan
Use bullets or a simple table, but keep the format readable on a phone. Avoid burying assignments inside paragraphs of background. If there are supporting documents, link to the current version with a descriptive label rather than “click here.”
Send and maintain the record
Share the recap while participants still remember the discussion. Follow your organization's normal recordkeeping process for sensitive topics. If someone corrects a material decision, circulate the correction clearly rather than quietly changing a document and assuming everyone will notice. The goal is a dependable account of what happens next, not a transcript of every comment.
Make the next draft yours.
Adapt examples to your situation and verify names, details, and requirements before sharing.Suggest a correction →